“Renew our school”: why teachers oppose the new education reform

Ukraine’s education system is again under severe criticism due to reforms that, according to experts, complicate the educational process rather than improve it. Noted educator Viktor Gromovy, pointing to the consequences of “gymnasium” and “lyceumization,” called the situation in the general education system an “educational catastrophe.”

Gromovy argues that recent reforms have effectively destroyed traditional schools that previously provided complete secondary education. Many institutions have been reformed into gymnasiums or lyceums, often without real content, to comply with the new regulatory framework. As a result, the country has received many “gymnasiums” that do not provide proper education and “lyceums” that do not meet European high school standards.

According to the expert, most of these reforms are superficial changes, mainly related to rebranding institutions and creating additional bureaucratic structures, such as offices for implementing new educational standards. Unfortunately, the quality of education continues to decline, while institutions responsible for its control, such as the State Education Quality Service of Ukraine, do not fulfill their assigned functions.

Among the greatest threats to educational participants, the expert highlights draft law No. 13120, which provides for creating specialized lyceums with strict criteria, in particular, the mandatory number of students in a class—at least 24 people—and restrictions for primary grades. This threatens the accessibility of education in small communities, which will not be able to meet these requirements due to demographic and territorial restrictions.

Gromovy added that profiling in high school has long lost its relevance. World experience shows that individualized curricula are more effective, as they allow you to adapt training to the needs of each student. Lyceums in countries such as France, Italy, and Poland serve as high schools that prepare students for admission to higher education institutions. According to the expert, the concept of “lyceum” was devalued in Ukraine when it began to be applied to vocational education institutions.

In this regard, Gromovy supports the call of the Director of the Kyiv Department of Education, Olena Fidanyan: “Give us back the school.” In his opinion, restoring the traditional name and concept of a comprehensive school is necessary to preserve the constitutional right of children to education and prevent educational chaos.